A Rose
by Sword of Seals
Summary: HarkenxIsadora. My first romance, as pathetic as it is. The story of Harken and Isadora, starting from the days of their youth to fighting alongside Eliwood. PG13 to be safe. WHEW! It took me forever to write this one...
1. Bandit and Knight

SOS: Ok, here is my first (and rather pathetic) attempt to write a romance fic. So yeah, it will be very lousy, but it's a first. It's Harken/Isadora (did I spell that right?) and I really am surprised there aren't more of these on this site. It confuses me. Also, for once, Erk, Lucius, or Canas don't play a big role in a fanfic of mine.  
  
Erk: Thank god.  
  
SOS: Quiet Erky.  
  
Lucius: Sauce.  
  
SOS: GAHH! They've been stuck on that ever since they read "Emblem Quest"  
  
Canas: :-)  
  
Erk: Sauce  
  
Sauce, I mean, SOS: AAAAAH!  
  
Canas: I always seem to end up doing the disclaimer. Sauce (SOS: GAH!) does not own Fire Emblem, Harken, Isadora, or Castle Pherae, but he does own a Nintendo Wavebird wireless controller. Ok, start the fanfic. Oh, and sauce (SOS: AAH!) would like to thank SkyFireZero for the encouragement while writing this.  
  
A Rose  
Chapter 1: Bandit and Knight  
  
A young girl, barely 14 years old, walked over to the rack of swords that was for the knights of Pherae. The girl had always dreamed of becoming a knight, but they never wanted a woman. The only reason she got drafted was that the knights' strength was declining and they needed more soldiers fast. She had distinctive blue hair and clear blue eyes. She was also wearing white armor. She saw a silver sword that just seemed to stand out and tried to lift it off the rack. The girl tugged valiantly at the weapon, but it would barely budge. At this point, three soldiers were now watching her and her pitiful efforts. He heard the soldiers laughing and jeering at the pathetic sight. He flushed with anger and fought the tears that threatened to unleash.  
  
"Hey hey! What do we have here? Pherae's greatest knight! Oh, I would hate to be an enemy right now! Hahaha!"  
  
"Look at that! He can't lift that silver sword! She should stick with helping mommy in the kitchen!"  
  
"Or picking flowers! Hahaha!"  
  
"What's all this racket!" came a commanding voice. The three soldiers looked around and immediately quieted down. The voice came from General Marcus, the commander of the knights of Pherae. He was extremely strict, and did not tolerate soldiers making fun of the young knight-in-training. Marcus glared at the three soldiers with extreme distaste. They cowered under his glare and walked away without a word. Marcus then looked at her. His expression softened and he sighed. "Isadora." The girl looked up. "You know that I won't be there for you forever. You must be able to take care of yourself."  
  
"I'm sorry Lord Marcus. I'll do better next time. Please, just don't give up on me. I'll be the best knight you'll have!"  
  
Marcus resisted the urge to smile at the girl's confidence and admired her courage. "I won't, Isadora. I won't. And soon, you'll be the knight you want to be." Then, he turned and left. Isadora smiled. Thank you Lord Marcus. Then she lifted the sword up without a problem and practiced. They'll see. I'll be better than anyone! She then placed a wooden barrel on the floor and swung with all of her might. It was cut cleanly in two even halves. Isadora smiled. That's definitely a good start.  
  
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"Harken! Over here now!" A large bandit called towards a rather young blonde boy with an iron sword. "Come on kid! We're attacking a Pheraen village today! Don't blow it, or it will cost you at least a month's salary. The boy grunted in response, but obeyed anyways. The only reason he had joined this band of bandits from Bern was because he needed money to live off of. Nobody wanted a poor orphan boy with no skills but with the sword. This was the only available work, and no matter how much he despised it, it was the only way to keep living. Harken was always mistreated and was beat often because of his hesitance to hurt innocents. But that was what being a bandit was all about, hurting innocent people and taking their valuables. The world never has mercy, and Harken learned that the hard way.  
  
"Come on, boy! Move faster! At this rate, the knights of Pherae will get to the village before us! We can't afford to face them!"  
  
"Alright, I'm coming," Harken replied as he broke into a jog. He decided that he did not want to meet the knights in combat.  
  
Little did he know.  
  
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"Assemble now! All available soldiers, meet Commander Marcus at the gate! The village will be attacked soon by a group of bandits from Bern! I repeat, meet Commander Marcus at the gate!"  
  
Soldiers bustled through the corridors of Castle Pherae to meet the commander at the gate, hoping not to be late and face the wrath of the strict paladin. Isadora had been practicing since morning with an iron sword instead of the silver one. She had become quite good, considering the short amount of time she had. She hurried with the other knights and soldiers, hoping that this would be her chance to prove her worth. This is it, she told herself. No turning back now.  
  
Marcus looked about the group of knights and soldiers that gathered before him. He gave them the briefing. "Our scouts have spotted a group of bandits moving westbound towards Pherae. By tonight, they will have reached the village on the most western point of Pherae. We, however, will ride towards the village quickly so we can intercept their band before they reach Pherae itself. That way, we can keep the village safe during battle and, if the battle goes poorly, we can retreat towards the village and use that to cover us. But, that must only be done as a last resort and only if we are losing extremely badly. We must be able to drive back the bandits away from Pherae. Any questions?" Marcus' question was answered with silence. "Good. We leave in 5 minutes. Get yourself some water. It's going to be a long march." With that, they were dismissed. Isadora ran back to her dorm to get her water bottle and filled it up with water. She put on her light, white colored armor and ran back to the gate. She was very nervous, of course, but also very excited to be able to prove her worth to the other soldiers. They won't be making fun of her much longer.  
  
The gate eventually got crowded again with the other soldiers and Marcus ordered them into their ranks. "We march! Now!" With that, the ranks began a quick march towards the beleaguered village.  
  
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Now, the bandits had broken into a disorganized, frantic run. They had heard about the march of the Pheraen knights and were frightened. Harken kept up with them, preying for more time to get to the village. The other bandits had told him what Pheraen knights do towards bandits like them. First, they wound you, they said. Then they cut off all of your limbs, one by one, and when you start bleeding to death, they will put you in the cells and wait for you to die, slowly and surely. Harken knew that this was exaggerated deeply, but being as naïve as he was, it certainly scared him quite a bit.  
  
"Run faster! They might beat us to the village! If we get to the village first, we can use that as cover and kill the knights! Hurry up!"  
  
Harken didn't need a second bidding.  
  
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The Pheraen knights marched like none of them had marched before. Even the ones with horses were getting tired. Isadora was especially tired. Only the excitement of battle kept her going. She popped the lid off of the water bottle and peered inside. Empty, except for a few drops. She sighed. Marcus seemed to notice this, and rode beside her and gave her some of his own water. She accepted it gratefully and soon was replenished.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Marcus," She said and marched off with a new vigor. Marcus smiled to himself. He wasn't known for kindness towards anybody except for the royal family, but Isadora was different. Marcus knew she had the potential of becoming one of Pherae's best. He didn't hear the whispering of the other soldiers whose resentment of Isadora grew.  
  
Soon, they reached the village, and thankfully, it was unharmed. Most of the soldiers fell flat on their backs and panted with exhaustion. Marcus looked around and noticed that they were all weary. "Ok everyone, great job of getting here. Now, you have a 10-minute break. Get some water and some rest from the villagers."  
  
Isadora received some help from a young boy and his mother. He appeared to be about seven years old. He offered her water.  
  
"Here you go," The boy offered.  
  
"Thank you, young sir. What's your name?" she replied  
  
"It's Lowen. And I greatly appreciate you coming to help the village. Someday, I'll be a great knight, just like you!"  
  
Isadora smiled at the child and had memories of her own childhood. Soon, Marcus had everybody re-organized again.  
  
"Now, you know the plan, let's march again! Now!" The rejuvenated army marched towards the enemy.  
  
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Meanwhile, the bandits had almost made it to the village. Harken was dead tired. But fear over fatigue carried him. All of the bandits were tired.  
  
"Come on everyone! The village is just over that hill!" The leader spoke. Harken sighed with relief. The bandits then sped up, believing they could actually make it. When they finally got over the hill, the sight that greeted them nearly made Harken's heart stop. Pheraen knights, at least a 150, were lined up about 70 yards from them. His eyes grew wide and so did the bandits. But their leader believed they actually could win. "I over estimated them. We can take them! Charge!" The bandits, following their leader, also charged. Harken unsheathed his sword, and charged as well, fear and fatigue forgotten in the roaring melee.  
  
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Isadora was also very frightened. There were a lot more bandits then Marcus anticipated. But Marcus did not order a retreat. "Steady the ranks! Now! Charge!" The ranks seemed to move as one, and roared towards the advancing bandits. Isadora withdrew her sword and followed as well.  
  
SOS: That was not that bad, was it? I've been meaning to write this for a while now. Please R&R! Till next time, Goodbye!  
  
Sword of Seals 


	2. Battle and Capture

SOS: Hey, I am back again! I don't think I have ever done two chapters of the same story within this small timespan. And I got reviews too! I didn't know that this was going to be reviewed at all.  
  
Erk: Neither did I. I guess that's a privileged for being the first Harken/Isadora fic on the site. I would like to say the World Wide Web, but God knows what's on the Internet these days. To sum it all up, this is only a good fic because it's the first of its kind. If there were other ones, this story would suck.  
  
SOS: TT  
  
Hippie Narrator: Erk, my beloved brother, please stop criticizing SOS. (Pulls out "Being a Hippie for Dummies") It says here that respect must be shown to all living things.  
  
SOS: Yeah, stop being a meanie Erky.  
  
Erk: -- What are you doing here? This isn't TTOM.  
  
SOS: He's a muse now! Because of his Hippie... hippieness, he's my only muse that doesn't bother me. As for reviews...  
  
SkyFireZero: (AAAAGH! SAUCE!) Yes, I meant to say, "They had never wanted a woman" and thanks for the review  
  
DTN: Here you go! Thank you for ze review!  
  
LowenxRebbeccaluver: I knew he worked for another house; I am going to incorporate that in a few chapters or so. And Marcus should be in his late thirties and he isn't what he is in FE7, but he is commander of the knights, not General quite yet. Thanks anyways!  
  
Elf Lord D: Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you!  
  
Electric Fire: (...sauce...) Thank you! I said if I got at least 5 reviews, I would write again. And yours was the fifth!  
  
Dragonair Sage: Thank You For The Review! I Am Glad That There Is Somebody Who Likes Harken/Isadora besides me.  
  
Inferno-Swordsman-Max: Thank you for responding to the reviews too! And I am glad that someone else is writing a Harken/Isadora fic besides me. I don't want to be the only idiot that writes those. Good luck with yours!  
  
Wyvern Girl: Not grounded anymore? I got your email! I actually replied, so I hope you like it!  
  
Gentleness28: Thank you for ze review! I don't know if Harken did start out as a bandit, but his former marquees did throw him out so I wondered what Harken was doing until he went to Pherae.  
  
SOS: 9 reviews! 4 past as many as I wanted.  
  
Canas: Argh. Disclaimer job again. Sauce (...) does not own fire emblem, Star Wars, but he does own a computer with Internet access.  
  
SOS: Onwards we shall go!  
  
A Rose  
Chapter 2: Battle and Capture  
  
Isadora tried hard to keep her cool, yet failed miserably. The ragged bunch of bandits before her was charging at full force, and it was a frightening sight. Then, Marcus ordered the charge, and the ranks of Pheraen knights moved swiftly towards the advancing bandits. Isadora's horse could feel her fear and grunted, reminder her that there was no place for that in war. Isadora made her horse walk at a slow trot so she kept pace with the other knights. The bandits, of course, charged freely.  
  
Marcus frowned at the crowd of bandits. They were in for a rough time. "Ready? Full speed ahead!" The horsemen of the group charged swiftly, and readied their attack. Isadora followed, hoping her nerves could endure just a little longer.  
  
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Harken was no fool. He was not a great tactician, but he was better than most of the bandits. He knew that a full out charge would mean the death of all the bandits. So, he ran faster and caught up with their leader. "I don't think we should charge like this! We will be easy to beat!" He yelled over all of the noise. The bandit didn't listen.  
  
"Shut up kid!" He roared, and slapped Harken in the face. Harken was stunned, not because of the slap, he was beat all of the time, but because of their obvious stupidity. You've signed our death warrant with those words, Harken thought. The Pheraen knights were already charging, and the distance between the two forces was getting smaller and smaller. He squinted his eyes for sight of the commander. Because their leader wasn't being strategic, he was forced to be himself. In a few seconds, he spotted the red paladin at the head of the forces. Harken knew that this one had to be his target. He then planned a course that would lead him directly to the enemy commander. He hoped that without their leader, the knights would be disorganized. He could only hope.  
  
Soon, the first wave of horsemen clashed against the front bandits. They instantly knew the disadvantage they had, and the front bandits were killed easily. The swordsmen soon followed, wreaking havoc upon the axemen. Harken, however, was going around the battle avoiding much conflict save a few skirmishes that Harken easily won. The red paladin was devastating, killing bandits almost seeming effortlessly. He was truly skilled. Harken then knew that killing the red paladin was going to be a lot more difficult than he expected.  
  
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Isadora's fear of the bandits gradually started disappearing. She was with the charging horsemen, but she wanted to stay close to Marcus. Her eyes frequently darted for sight of him. While most of the bandits were not skilled at all, there were a select few that caused Isadora some trouble. But, since she brought her sword, she was able dodge most of the attacks. She fought bravely on into the mass of the bandit horde.  
  
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The battle was going well for the Pheraen knights, but poorly for the bandits. Many of them started running away. They knew the hopelessness of the battle and tried taking the easy way out. Marcus decided he would round them up later and focused on the bandits before him. The battle was in their control, and there was nothing the bandits could do to change it. Any other commander by now would be overconfident and would declare victory. But not Marcus. He knew that battles weren't over until the last soldier was killed or captured.  
  
Isadora focused now on the bandits that were trying to retreat, easily taking care of anyone who tried. Now, the Pheraen knights had surrounded the bandits. The bandits then foolishly began fighting like mad, losing their composure. All except one.  
  
Harken kept his eyes on the red paladin. It was very tricky, however, since he could barely keep up with the horse. Then, Harken caught the paladin off guard when he was fighting off a particularly hard bandit. He knew this was his chance, so he charged.  
  
Isadora finished off the bandit she was currently fighting and turned around for Marcus. When she did, however, she noticed a bandit swiftly heading for him. Marcus still hadn't finished the one bandit yet, so he would be killed before he could defend himself. She could though. So, she reared her horse and charged with all the speed the horse could manage.  
  
Harken was completely unaware of Isadora's course and didn't take his eyes off Marcus. The distance was getting shorter, 30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters, and 5...  
  
Suddenly, a horse came beside him and the rider blocked Harken's sword with another Iron Sword. Distracted, he looked up.  
  
On the horse was... a girl. Harken gasped. The battlefield was no place for a woman, let alone a teenaged girl. This wasn't just an ordinary girl, though. In Harken's eyes, she was beautiful. Such perfect blue hair to match with blue eyes. NO! I MUST FOCUS! Harken got his thoughts straight.  
  
On the other side, Isadora was surprised to see someone so young on the battlefield. For some reason, she couldn't focus against the boy. The swords were still connected, struggling to get past one another. However, their owners were clearly not into the battle, the two just staring blankly into the other's eyes.  
  
Marcus finally finished off the troublesome bandit and turned around. He noticed Harken and Isadora's struggle and got the wrong impression that Isadora was in trouble. He rode his horse with stunning speeds and hit Harken like a bullet. The unsuspecting boy went flying six feet and hit the dirt with a sickening crunch.  
  
Isadora gasped and silently felt sorry for the boy. So far, Harken showed no signs of movement. She thought at first that he was dead. But he slowly got up and when he was standing, Marcus' sword was pointed at his neck. Harken slowly raised his hands up, acknowledging defeat.  
  
Harken was silent for much of the time. Horrid images of him being tortured still came to his mind. It was going to be a long march.  
  
SOS: That took me over a week to finish. I was supposed to get this up over the weekend (. Sorry to SkyFireZero who expected it during the weekend. I have finals coming up VERY fast and don't expect the next chapter of this in another week or so. Or maybe during the weekend.  
  
Canas: K, whatever.  
  
Hippie Narrator: Good job brother! You finally finished.  
  
SOS: Thank you. Goodbye and thank you for waiting!  
  
Sword of Seals 


	3. Harken's Redemption

SOS: Ok, now THIS is a quick update. The last one until the summer!  
  
Lucius: Hey, I have yet to make an appearance as a muse in this story!  
  
SOS: Uh... you just did.  
  
Lucius: Oh, ok nevermind.   
  
SOS: 9 reviews again! Wheeeee!  
  
Inferno-Hero: Yeah, there is a long, long list of supports on Game-faqs.com and all you have to do is search Fire Emblem and go to Rekka no Ken. Then scroll down to the support list link. HERE IS THE SAUCE STORY!   
  
SkyFireZero: I'm pretty much in the same situation, but I managed to get my World Geography grade up to a B and I hope I can get that up to an A with the final. And I personally thought that I used too much detail on the battle. I guess not. Glad you liked it!  
  
Elf Lord D: Thank you, my faithful reviewer! The battle did end a bit quickly, but I basically stopped when Harken was brought down.  
  
Haha81290: I don't know, he looks a little red to me, but I see your point. I do have something evil planned. Mwahahaha!  
  
LowenxRebeccaluver: If they were on boats, I would have said "Ramming Speed!" I still feel sorry for Harken after that blow.  
  
Electric Fire: Glad you liked it! A little sappy, I'm no good at sappy.   
  
Gentleness28: Well, I guess it was a quick update but it took me a WEEK to write the last chapter. Hope it doesn't take long for this one.  
  
Sugary teethrotter: Yuppity yup. I still feel sorry for Harken for making him do that.  
  
Blade Lord Lyn: Yeah I remember you! I signed up for OFUZ, I am wondering when you will update that. Thank you for the review!  
  
SOS: Hey! I noticed something!  
  
Lucius: What?  
  
SOS: Nobody called me sauce! Yaaay! (does can-can)  
  
Lucius: Hey, you're right!  
  
SOS: And so I start this story on a good note! Oh disclaimer boy!  
  
Canas: -- Sauce does not own Fire Emblem, but sauce does make a good topping on a barbecue!  
  
SOS:   
  
A Rose  
Chapter 3: Harken's Redemption  
  
Harken knew he was in for it. The red paladin he tried to kill ordered his hands bound and he brought Harken along with them back to Pherae Castle. It was a rather long march, and they only rested for about 15 minutes back at the village. He remembered watching the villagers, who were not exactly the richest of people. Guilt plagued him knowing that this was the very village he would have destroyed had the bandits won the battle. The same villagers helped him with the little water they could afford to give him. Tears threatened to flow when he thought of what he experienced. I will never do such a thing as to join a bandit force, even if I have to starve to death. That was a vow. They had left the village only half an hour ago, yet Harken was still thirsty. He knew that he would never make the journey all the way to Castle Pherae.  
  
Isadora rode alongside Harken, and she knew of the situation he was in. She uncorked her bottle and offered some to Harken. "Here try some of this. You look thirsty."  
  
Harken looked around at the girl. She was offering him water. He had tried to kill her, and yet she would do such a kind thing. "I really don't deserve it. Keep it." Harken refused.  
  
Isadora, however, would not take no as an answer. "No, you need it more than me." Harken, this time, took a small portion of the water. "Thank you," He said, not knowing what else to say. Isadora smiled. She had shown mercy upon the prisoner, and his view over some of the Pheraen knights slowly started to shift.  
  
Now that his thirst had been quenched, Harken tried to think of an escape plan. However, he couldn't think because his thoughts kept going back to the girl. Why had she shown mercy? She could have let me die. This question popped up in his head again and again.  
  
When the sunset could be seen over the horizon, Marcus ordered to set up camp. They had no reason to hurry, and they needed rest. Isadora couldn't sleep though. She didn't even understand why she was so kind to the boy. It's easy, said her conscience, you feel sorry for him and you don't want him to die. Well I know that, she told herself, just why don't I want him to die. You feel that he is special to you, somehow. Isadora frowned. She did not like the sound of that at all. With this thought, she fell asleep.  
  
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The next morning, Harken felt refreshed. He wasn't the only one, as the knights were visibly more vigorous and optimistic. It had been a while they had slept like that with the taste of victory in their mouths. But Harken was only feeling that way because he had not had decent sleep in a long while. He felt he could run to Castle Pherae and back. He just felt optimistic that day.  
  
Harken was greeted by the girl later that morning. "Hi there, how are you doing?" She had asked.  
  
"Much better than yesterday. Thank you for the water." He answered.  
  
"Nah, it was nothing. By the way, I never got to introduce myself. My name is Isadora."  
  
"And mine is Harken." Their eyes just seemed to lock at that point, and it was broken right when Marcus ordered Harken to see him in private. Harken complied, glad to find an excuse to break their staring. Isadora realized what just happened and blushed, but Harken wasn't around to see it. Those eyes. Those deep eyes, I feel like I can trust him.  
  
Harken honestly had no idea why he was summoned by the commander. He had a bad feeling about it. He at first thought that they were going to kill him, just to get rid of him. He was taking up almost no supplies, and was starving because of it. But, he had not come to be killed.  
  
"Good morning, boy. Had a good rest?" The strict commander asked. Harken was thoroughly confused. Good Morning? What is he up to! But, Harken would play along, just for now.  
  
"I am feeling nice and refreshed," He answered. "Definitely better than before."  
  
"Good. Do you see up there ahead?" Marcus was pointing towards a small dot in the distance. "That is Castle Pherae. And on the right, you can see the Bern Mountains. Pherae is the closest Lycian territory to Bern. Therefore it is extremely vulnerable to bandits from Bern. And if you see just a bit closer..."  
  
At that point, Harken looked where Marcus was pointing. It was a breathtaking view of a lake surrounded by a forest. The cool morning mist could be seen above the lake, giving it an eerie mysterious feeling. "Beautiful..." That was all he could say.  
  
"And this is why we are here. To protect this aria from anything that could happen. And this is where you come in. What's your name?"  
  
"My name is Harken."  
  
"Ah, Harken, I see. Well, I know of your feelings about yourself and your self-esteem is pretty low. I know why. It's because of you being a former bandit, correct?" Harken just looked down.  
  
"Former bandit?"  
  
"Yes. I was watching you during the battle. You are very intelligent and you are strong as well. And you know how the saying goes, everybody deserves a second chance."  
  
"So, what do you want me to do?"  
  
Marcus just smiled. "To win your freedom, we will train you. For two years. After that, if you like, you can stay and live at the castle. Or, you are free to go. But training won't be just like frolicking through the flowers. It will be rigorous."  
  
"What exactly am I training for?"  
  
Marcus smiled once again at the young inquisitive boy. "To help in any way possible for this country. You will defend it, you will help it in any way you can. You are going to become a knight of Pherae."  
  
SOS: Ah, that was pretty long. Ok people, since I have finals next week, this is the last update till summer!  
  
Hippie Narrator: Come my brothers! We must prey that Harken succeeds in his training!  
  
Erk: Go away.  
  
SOS: Be nice Erk.  
  
Lucius: Quiet sauce.  
  
SOS: AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!  
  
Canas: Ok, that's it for this chapter. Please R&R everyone! It is great that you show support. Oh and sauce also appreciates constructive criticism. Ok, bye now!  
  
Sword of Seals 


	4. The Training

SOS: Summer is almost over TT and I have had no time to update anything.

Lucius: ...

SOS: 10 reviews for that chapter. Sweet!

Lucius: Sauce got reviews.

Duelist of middle Earth: Thanks for reviewing, and I do have an idea for you, I emailed it.

SkyFireZero: Thank you! I thought that the last one was too short.

Gentleness28: Yes they are, and we must all prey for Harken's success!

Mission Zero: Thank you, and please update your story soon.

Elmosworld3956: Thanks for the review, and I also noticed it was a bit short.

Sugary teethrotter: Again thank you for the review.

DTN: Thank you, I noticed it was short too late.

Electric Fire: Erky and Lucy are doing a good job at that (glares at Erk and Lucius) I am done with finals, yaaaay!

Elf Lord D: Wow, that's pretty high praise, thank you for the review.

SOS: Ah, done with that, let's continue the story!

A Rose

Chapter 4: The Training Day

Harken knew that the training will be the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. He was scared. He had never done anything remotely close to training. _What if they don't think I am good enough? What if they just decide to kill me? _The questions ran through his head many times over and it was driving him nuts.

Isadora was also kind of nervous about Harken's ordeal. She didn't recognize it, but she thought that he could be trusted. Isadora always felt fluttery when they came close by. Overall, Harken had been treated well by Marcus, getting the same amount of food and water as the other knights.

After a half-day march, the exhausted group of soldiers finally got some rest. Isadora went straight to get herself some food and water. Harken was tired too, but Marcus immediately called for him to report to the training grounds. He felt the urge to protest but thought better of it.

When he reached there, Marcus was already waiting. "Alright boy, time to get started. First, lets see how good your accuracy is," Marcus said and pointed to a piece of wood tied by a tiny piece of rope to the beam on top. Without instruction, Harken already knew what to do. "You must cut the rope without touching the wood. Go!" Harken leapt as high as he could. Brandishing his sword, he held it horizontally with the flat of the sword facing up. As soon as he was at the height of the string he took a mighty swing. Marcus smiled. _This boy has a lot to learn. _The sword struck the wood and Harken was sent flying with the momentum. He looked up and, to his dismay, found an inch of wood hovering from the string. He groaned. Marcus just laughed. "Not bad! Not bad at all. A little out of control, but people normally start out that way. Ok, I know you are tired after that long march here. So you are dismissed." Without another word, Marcus casually strolled off. Harken was exhausted, so he just went to bed. Then he realized that he did not know where to go. He tried to look for Marcus but the castle was rather large and he got lost easily.

Harken was about to give up and started giving in to the urge of just sleeping on the stone floor. Then he heard a voice. "Do... do you need anything?" It was Isadora. Harken looked a bit embarrassed.

"I'm kind of lost. Can you help me?" He asked. Once again, that fluttery feeling came over Isadora. She ignored it.

"Follow me. Come on," Isadora started following seemingly random corridors and hallways. Harken tried memorizing them but gave up. Finally, after walking across several hallways, they reached the dorms. Harken looked around for an empty bunk and found one. But he realized who his roommate was. Isadora. She realized this also and blushed faintly. Fortunately, Harken didn't notice. He just lied on the bed and fell asleep after a rather long day, even though he didn't eat anything for dinner. Isadora hung her sword on the wall and mimicked Harken and both drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Early the next morning, Marcus quietly woke Harken. When he was awake, Marcus led him out to the back of the castle. Harken looked around and saw a large field covered in grass. There was some equipment there, such as targets and barrels, and some weapons too. Harken yawned and realized the sun wasn't up yet.

"This is the training field," said Marcus. "This is where you will train every day. I will teach you everything you need to know to become a knight. We will start before dawn and have breaks for breakfast and lunch. After lunch is your free time. Then at sundown we will have dinner and again you will have free time. This will be your schedule for your stay here at Pherae. Now let's get started." Then, Marcus led Harken through some warm up exercises and had him run one lap around the field. Soon, Harken was wide-awake.

After the warm up, Marcus handed Harken a new sword. It wasn't like his old Iron sword. This blade was made out of steel, shining in the dim light. Then, Marcus taught him some blocks with his sword. Harken absorbed everything and tried his honest best to learn all of the moves that Marcus was showing him. The sun rose slowly up the sky but Harken did not notice. His stamina was pushed to the limit and Marcus showed no sign of stopping soon. Later, a bell was heard from the castle.

"Time for breakfast. Come on." Marcus said as Harken dragged himself up to the castle. Though he was exhausted, he hadn't had food for a while so he kept trudging to the castle.

Isadora had awoken about an hour before breakfast. She stretched and dressed, ready for the day. She realized that Harken was not in his bed. Curious, she went to the castle, looking for him. Then she noticed a glint of steel in the training area. She could barely make out the shapes of Harken and Marcus and the glints of their blades, battling fiercely away. She was amazed. Marcus was one of the, if not the best, swordfighters in the country. If Harken can almost keep up with him on the first day...

Isadora went back to her room and picked up her sword. She went to the front of the castle instead of the training grounds, not wanting to disturb the two. She started her daily warm up and practiced with her sword. After that, she picked up a lance from the armory and started doing thrusts. After a while, she could hear the familiar sniggers of some of the other knights. '

"Oh look it what we have here, the 'knight'" one of them said, exaggerating the word "knight"

"Hahaha! Aw, isn't she cute!"

"Maybe she should have stuck with flirting with the village boys!"

Anger flared through Isadora, but she remained calm. Then, the bell for breakfast was heard. She just walked by indignantly, going for the Food hall.

On the table was a particularly large spread. She tried focusing on the food rather than her anger and frustration. As always, nobody sat next to Isadora.

Harken desperately tried memorizing the way inside the castle, but gave up. There were too many corridors, too many hallways. Finally, the ended up in the food hall and Harken surveyed the hall. There were five long tables in the middle and a stage at the front. All of the knights grew quiet when Marcus entered. He sat on the seat closest to the stage, next to a serene, redheaded man. To Harken, the man seemed to radiate a sense of calm, that things were going to be ok. On the other side of the man was a woman, obviously his wife. She had violet hair and bright, shining eyes. In her arms was a child, about 5 years old, asleep. _They are so happy_, Harken thought.

Harken finally stopped staring at the family and looked for an empty spot. Once again, the only spot was next to the blue haired girl. He tensed and walked over. "Is this seat taken?" He asked as polite as he could be. She gasped and looked over. She relaxes when she saw who it was.

"N-no, it's not. You want to sit by me? Why?" She asked.

"Well, there are no other seats, and, well, you are the only person I know besides General Marcus."

"Oh, o-ok," She said, stuttering. _Stop it Isadora! You're making a fool of yourself!_

"Thank you. And your name was..."

"Isadora, and I remember you as Harken?"

"Right, Harken. I just have a question, is the food always this good looking?"

Isadora giggled. "No way! Wait until you see the real food. Yuck." She made a face. Then Marcus silenced the hall again. Then the redheaded man stood up.

"I know you are all probably wondering how good this food got over the last day, and this is thanks to this man over here..." He pointed to a bald man by the door of the kitchen.

"Thank you, Marquess Pherae. You are too kind." At this statement, Harken jumped. _So that's the Marquess! _Then, the man spoke again. "This feast is in honor of the knights of Pherae. Because of them, my village is safe. I hope this feast can be a tribute to you brave ones. I am the best cook around, as the Marquess already knows..." He finished and sat down.

"Yes, and let's begin the meal." Marquess Pherae said and everyone began filling their own plates.

It turned out to be the best meal Harken ever had. He found himself taking seconds, and thirds, and even fourths. Same with Isadora. Next to each other, they stuffed their faces until they felt like they were going to explode.

After the meal, Harken confidently marched to the training grounds, now that he was rested and filled with food. Soon, Marcus also came outside and they resumed. The clashing of their swords mingled with the noise of the other knights who were also training, keeping their skills sharp, ready for anything.

Erk: That was a pathetic attempt at an ending

Lucius: Yup.

SOS: Ok, so it wasn't the greatest. Anyway, it took me over 3 months to write that chapter and I know that I spelled Marquess wrong. (shrugs)

Lucius: I'm not surprised...

SOS: Anyways, goodbye and don't forget to Review!

Sword of Seals


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